Turbulence
by Bologna121
Summary: One of the things people appreciated most about Peter was his ability to take everything in stride. This turbulence thing is new, though.


One of the things people appreciated most about Peter was his ability to take everything in stride. Unsolicited house visits; rapid-fire decathlon drills; trips to Germany without any context. The kid took everything in life as it came.

It was almost as if he stayed braced for action and change. Someone with a penchant for voicing all of his thoughts and ideas through a never-ending monologue like Peter was _always_ a few steps ahead of themselves- totally ready for the next thing.

Along the lines of "braced for action"….Texts directly from Tony Stark were rare, which made each one exciting. Especially the latest one, which had come after a couple of days of radio silence.

" _San Fran conference tomorrow AM. Pack your Hulk PJs. I'll work on Aunt Hottie."_

The window of time was _just_ tight enough to keep it exhilarating, while also allowing Peter just the right amount of time to call Ned and launch into an overexcited speech about what he was going to pack, who he hoped he would see, and how cool it was gonna be to fly on the private plane again with Mr. Stark.

When Tony arrived at his door 45 minutes later, Peter was packed and ready- duffle bag and passport on hand and Spider-Man suit on underneath his hoodie and jeans.

After one more bathroom run for Peter to change- "I refuse to go through airport security with you wearing that" -the Dynamic Duo (Ned's term) were off.

Convinced that Tony had just made something up as a cover for an Avengers mission, Peter had only halfway listened when Tony explained to Aunt May what the conference was for. He was wrong. There really _was_ a biogenetics conference in San Francisco and they really _were_ going as attendees. Tony was a guest speaker, and had it in mind to introduce Peter to several of his connections from MIT.

"That's like a mentor-y thing to do, right? I'm trying to make sure my dedicated chapter in your future autobiography isn't just about me using you as a child soldier."

Peter had made a joke of it- "You think you're getting a whole chapter?" But he was touched that Mr. Stark considered him important enough to introduce to his engineering peers. He shyly but sincerely murmured his thanks.

Tony, always uncomfortable with the awe and genuine appreciation in Peter's eyes after he'd done something relatively nice, just rolled his eyes and pulled out his StarkPad, effectively ending the conversation.

The private plane was as comfortable and extravagant as he remembered. He was waited upon the moment he stepped foot inside, and made sure to choose a seat that wasn't too close to Happy. Tony, surprisingly, had chosen to occupy the seat directly across from Peter. But he stayed focused on his StarkPad.

Despite slinging and flinging himself from ungodly heights every night, Peter had only ever been on an airplane for the "Captain America Showdown" (Ned's term). That time on the plane was smooth sailing. Besides, he was so hyped for that adventure he wouldn't have noticed if they were flying upside down.

So turbulence was….new.

And awful.

About 45 minutes into the flight, Peter felt as if he'd been strapped on a roller coast ride. He'd had never been too fond of those growing up, but could tolerate them. Five minutes later, the continued rocking and shaking of the plane had him panicking a little. He nervously glanced around the cabin to see if anyone else was concerned at all. The flight attendants were mixing drinks for Mr. Stark, Happy was dead to the world, and Mr. Stark was still flicking through his pad.

Peter took a deep breath and tried to relax.

" _If Mr. Stark wasn't worried, you shouldn't be either",_ Peter told himself.

He couldn't help the unmanly squeak that escaped his lips at the next big bump. He could feel himself beginning to sweat a little. Clamping his eyes shut, he tried breathing slowly to combat the nausea he was beginning to experience.

The plane seemed to settle just half a minute later. He unclenched his hands from his seat and, with another gulp, slowly opened his eyes.

Tony was staring directly at him. An eyebrow raised above his tinted glasses and a slight frown played on his lips.

Determined to not make a big deal out of what had just happened, Peter tried laughing it off. "Whew, what a ride! You know, I was thinking we oughta take an Avengers vacation to Disneyworld soon. Think Cap could get us in for free?"

Tony, as was his usual M.O, ignored Peter's joke. "Is there a reason you've decide to reconfigure my seats?"

Peter looked down at where his hands were and blinked. He hadn't realized he'd been gripping his seat with all his strength, creating some unfortunate dents in the process.

"Uhh….sorry Mr. Stark." He tried laughing again and ran a nervous hand through his slightly damp hair, but Mr. Stark kept looking at him- an unreadable expression on his face that somehow made Peter both embarrassed and a little calmer. He let his question slip out without thinking-

"This plane isn't flying itself, is it?"

Mr. Stark didn't laugh at him, but did give a small smirk. "Not entirely. There's a pilot up there to monitor everything"

"Oh-ok. Cool, cool." He settled lower in his seat, feigning nonchalance while still trying to regulate his breathing.

The billionaire ultimately looked away from him too, but put down his StarkPad and leaned his head against the window as if in thought.

Constantly dressed in ironic t-shirts under his Armani suits and always outfitted with the newest sneakers on the market, Tony always looked alive and vibrant- a rock star of sorts.

There were some moments, though few and far between, that Mr. Stark looked as he did now- older, weary, and a little sad. Peter wondered if he'd read some bad news on his pad. Or worse, if Tony was regretting his decision to bring Peter along. But the man didn't look upset or annoyed. Just….sad.

"Staring is socially frowned upon, kid."

"Sorry Mr. Stark."

They'd had about 20 more minutes of normalcy- Happy was still asleep and now so was Mr. Stark. Peter, on the other hand, had been busy consuming 2 toasted sandwiches, a piece of the most amazing chocolate cake he'd ever had, and a coke. He was making his way through a bag of chips when they hit turbulence again.

The first jolt was enough to send a startled attendant to her knees.

Then the voice of the pilot came from overhead, deep and steady but saying words that provided little comfort.

"Mr. Stark and guests, please be advised that we are hitting a bit of a rough spot here. There was an unexpected storm a few miles from here giving us some rough winds. I'm working on finding us some smoother air, but it looks like we're going to have to ride this one out. I need you to remain seated with your seatbelts fastened. Thank you for your patience"

Peter's breaths came faster as he looked around the cabin again. Happy had begrudgingly opened one eye to buckle his seatbelt, frowning slightly. The attendants exchanged quick glances and put down their drinks, hurrying to their own seats. He saw one pull out what looked to be a safety procedures manual and begin flicking through it.

If Peter was panicked before, now he was hyperventilating. He found himself unable to stop the flood of images in his head of what the headlines would say tomorrow. "Tony Stark & Unknown 12 Year Old Guest found Dead in Plane Crash"; "Brilliant Scientist and Middle Schooler Missing".

Of course he wouldn't even be mentioned by name. Aunt May would be devastated. He hated it when she cried, and now he'd have to watch her cry over and over again as a ghost. A ghost who still had acne.

He wondered who would give the eulogy at his funeral. Ned hated public speaking. And Captain America was probably booked with speaking engagements already. MJ was the only person in his life who could probably get through it without crying.

MJ…. He hadn't even properly made out with a girl yet. Oh God….yeah. He was going to die a virgin.

All of these terrible thoughts hit him full force, restricting his lungs and causing his eyes to blur. As they continued to rock and sway, he found himself slightly gasping. He wanted this to be over. More than anything, he wanted to be safely back on the ground. In one piece. And he would just take trains for the rest of his life.

Closing his eyes made everything worse. Made his impending death seem more imminent. In his effort to focus on something, he found himself looking towards Tony.

He was surprised to see that Tony was awake again and looking directly at him. The man had been frowning at him, but once he got a full view of Peter's face his lips formed a hard line.

Peter could only imagine what he looked like right now. Sweaty, probably pale, and gasping like a fish out of water. But as embarrassed as he should have been, he couldn't look away from Tony. With his eyes, he silently begged the man to help him. To get them out of this.

Tony slowly took off his shades and continued to stare into Peter's face for a few more seconds, something flickering in his tired eyes.

Then he seemed to come to a decision. Swiftly unbuckling himself, he got up to move to the seat right next to Peter's. Without saying a word, and ignoring Peter's panicked staring, he gently pried the boy's fingers from where they were gripping the seat and placed them firmly in his own hand.

If Peter was in a better state of mind and didn't fear for his life, he would have paid more attention to the fact that Tony's warm, rough hands were trembling just a little. But all he could spare a thought to was the fact that Tony's touch was steadying him- pulling him out of his panicked thoughts and back to reality.

They stayed like that for a few moments, swaying together with the volatile movements of the aircraft. Then Mr. Stark spoke:

"I used to be afraid spiders. Did you know that?"

What? Peter stared back at him in disbelief. He couldn't comprehend why now, of all times, his mentor had decided to engage in friendly small talk.

"Nasty, creepy little things. Not to offend you, kid. I know they are your brethren."

Caught off guard with the direction of this conversation, Peter scoffed. The sound turned to a gasp as the plane jolted again.

Tony seemed to flinch in response to Peter's gasp. With a quick squeeze of the hand, the man continued.

"My dad told me it was stupid. Pathetic-that's the word he used. He laughed at me whenever he saw me run away from one. There was a tarantula in my room once- I had to have been about 12. I'm still convinced he's the one who put it there. He said to me "there are going to be much worse things in your life, Anthony. Grow up and get yourself a real fear.""

Tony chuckled to himself, a noise that sounded both fond with old memories and dark at the same time. This wasn't the first time he'd made mention of Howard Stark to Peter, so the teen was not surprised by what he was hearing- even if it was a little sad. Each time Tony mentioned his dad, Peter had the inexplicable urge to tell him "You're nothing like your dad, Mr. Stark!" to reassure him. Because Peter got the feeling that his mentor, no matter how genius he was, needed to hear those words. But another jolt of the aircraft had him zipping his lips.

"Anyway, when I was…taken…where I was, those things were everywhere. _In_ everything. Granted, everything else that I saw and went through in that shithole was worse. So much worse. In that way, my dad was right. Those nightmares are the bad ones. I couldn't…I can't possibly…" Tony broke off abruptly, and for a second Peter thought he was going to pull away.

He certainly wasn't expecting the warm hand to his forehead, gently pushing sweaty strands back. Tony held his gaze, breathing steadily and prompting Peter to slowly start doing the same until they were breathing to the same rhythm. The ringing in his ears began to fade slowly- and the ache in his stomach lessened.

Uncle Ben had given him his first lesson on power and responsibility, and since then Peter had become increasingly better at recognizing when he was in a position of power. This was not one of those moments, and he was almost grateful for it. Mr. Stark, with only a seemingly random story and a tender gesture, had managed to help settle him. The man who he looked up to in every way was looking at him with a softness in his expression that Peter had never seen before. In those dark brown eyes he could see understanding, compassion, fondness, a little bit of good-natured humor and…..

Something else he can recall seeing in Aunt May's eyes. The look she gives him when they cook together in their tiny kitchen, or when he rambles on to her about his day at school. He always felt warm and safe under that look. This look. The last little bit of tension left his body as he continued to focus on Tony's face and words.

"I know it may not seem like it now, but it's going to be ok. Peter, we're going to be ok."

Tony's hands squeezed his, and he gave squeeze of his own back.

"And, think about it. If we plummet out of the sky there's no better person to be with than me." He wiggled their entwined hands, drawing attention to his gauntlet. "I can only carry about four people though, so we're going to have to choose between Happy and that redhead flight attendant. I'll leave that decision to you. Don't let me down."

"I hate you sometimes" Happy said without opening an eye, drawing a genuine laugh from both Peter and Tony.

The rest of the ride was blissfully uneventful, the pilot having finally found smoother air. Tony hands didn't release their hold until the pilot cheerfully announced they were 15 minutes from landing, and then Tony gave his hand one last squeeze before moving back to his original seat. They both ignored Happy's smirking face.

It wasn't until they got to the hotel that Peter spoke again, tugging Mr. Stark's jacket sleeve before the man could continue down the hall to his suite.

"Mr. Stark I -"

Tony blinked at him expectantly, pretending to check his watch in irritation when Peter didn't continue.

Thinking better of what he was about to say- what he _wanted_ to say-Peter took another breath. "I don't think it's pathetic to be afraid of spiders. We are a fearsome species, after all."

Mr. Stark's halfhearted eye roll and clap on the back was just enough to lighten the mood.

"Oh, and I've decided that I will give you that chapter in my autobiography. It'll be a real short one though."

One of the things Tony appreciated most about Peter was his ability to take anything in stride.

 ***A/N: I swore up and down I was done writing Fanfiction. But here we are. It wouldn't leave my head and I love my Fanfiction community so please let me know what you think! I'm toying with the idea of making this a series...  
**

 **-Bologna121**


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